Car-coupling



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. R. AMBROSE. GAR COUPLING.

No. 600,396. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

W. R. AMBROSE. GAR COUPLING Patented Mar. 8, 1898.

(No Model.) 3 she'et sfisheet 3.

W. R. AMBROSE.

GAR COUPLING. No. 600,396. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

IVILLIAM R. AMBROSE, OF SHEFFIELD, ALABAMA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 600,396, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed July 1, 1897- Serial No. 643,124. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. AMBROSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sheffield, in the county of Colbert and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Gouplin gs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of carcouplings in which provision is made for supporting a coupling-pin in an elevated position until automatically released by an entering link, with which the coupling-pin then becomes engaged.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide improved means for the automatic coupling of cars and for uncoupling the draw-heads from either the top or sides or car-platform without risk to life or limb.

The invention consists in features of construction and novel combinations of devices in an automatic car-coupling, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawin gs,illustratin g the invention, Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevation of my improved car-coupling, showing a link engaged with the coupling-pin in one draw-head and its other end as entering an op posite draw-head. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the coupling-pin of one draw-head and its supporting-yoke as being lifted in the act of uncoupling. Fig. 3 isa front elevation of the coupling or draw-l1ead with the pin-supporting yoke in an elevated position. Fig. I is a side elevation of a pin-supporting yoke. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a pin-supporting yoke. Fig. 6 is a perspective of another form of pin-supporting yoke. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a draw-head with link engaged therein. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of drawhead, half in section. Fig. 9 is a top view of draw-head. Fig. 10 is a plan of a double-loop coupling-link.

The draw-head or bumper is designated by the reference-numeral 1 and can be made of malleable or cast iron, soft or hard steel, as preferred. As usual, the draw-head mouth 2 is somewhat beveled, as shown, to facilitate entrance of the coupling-link.

In the top of the draw-head there are provided vertical guideways 3, that may be extended to the under side of the draw-head. These guideways 3 are located on opposite sides of the upper pin-hole 4 and are designed for passage of a vertically-sliding yoke 5, in which the coupling-pin 6 is carried.

The two sides of the yoke 5 are composed of wings 7 at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the draw-head and provided with side bars or pieces 8, that are at right angles to the said wings and parallel with the said drawhead axis. It is preferable to extend the side bars 8 only part way the length of the wings 7 at their lower ends and below the same, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6, but; if desired, the side bars 8 may be extended the whole length of the said wings 7 and also a suitable distance below the same, as shown in Fig. 3. By extending the side bars 8 along only the lower portion of the inwardly-projecting wings 7 the yoke 5 will be considerably lightened and its frictional surfaces reduced, so that the vertically-sliding movement of the yoke is facilitated. The inwardly-projectin g wings 7 greatly strengthen the yoke and also serve to hold a coupling-link level by bearing on its upper side when the yoke 5 and attached coupling-pin 6 are lowered. At their upper ends the two sides of the sliding yoke 5 may be formed separate to receive between them the upper end of the coupling-pin 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In this construction of yoke the upper end of the coupling-pin 6 is flattened from front to rear and is pivotally supported between the upper ends of the two separate yoke sides by means of a transverse pin or pivot 9, that also serves to connect the opposite sides of the yoke. The body of the coupling-pin 6 is cylindrical, and it will be obvious that with the form of yoke shown in Figs. 1 and 3 any ordinary coupling-pin can be made serviceable by simply flattening its upper end, so that it can be conveniently pivoted between the upper ends of the two separate side pieces of the yoke.

If desired, the upper portion of the verti cally-sliding yoke 5 may be made all inone piece and integral with the side wings, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6. This form of yoke is provided at the top with a collar 10, through which the coupling-pin 6 is inserted and secured by a bolt 11, passed from front to rear. In either form of yoke construction a ring or eye 12 may be provided at the upper end of the coupling-pin 6 as a means for lifting said pinand connected yoke in the operation of uncoupling, any suitable chains or operatinglevers being connected with the said ring or eye,

For the purpose of accommodating the angular form of the yoke sides at the junction of the wings 7 and side pieces 8 a similar angular or T-shaped construction is given to the guideways 3 in the upper portion of the.

draw-head; but this T form of the guideway need not be continued all the way down, as its rear wall may be omittedat the lower part.

To the lower ends of the yoke side pieces 8 it is preferable to attach pivotal fingers by meansv of any suitablyjointed connection. The jointed connection between the fingers 13 and upper side pieces of the yoke 5 may be by means of a circular boss 14 on one part engaged in a circular opening 15 in the other part. As shown, I prefer to arrange the bosses 14 on the outer sides of the yoke side pieces 8 at their lower ends and to form the openings 15 in the upper ends of the pivotal or swinging fingers 13, the connected parts being recessed to lap by each other and form smooth joints flush on both sides. In this construction the fingers 13 will be attached when the yoke 5 is inserted downward into and through the top 'of the draw-head, it being only necessary to slip the bosses 14 of one part into the openings 15 of the other part. No other fastenings will be required, for the guideways 3 will hold thefingers 13 onto the yoke-body. Obviously, however, the yoke and its swinging fingers can be provided with any other suitable form of connecting-joint.

In the lower ends of the yoke-fingers 13 there are openings 16 to receive the ends of a transversely arranged bolt or axle 17, on which there is loosely or revolubly mounted a metal ball or roller 18, having a doubly-conoidal form or tapered toward its ends.

To connect the yoke 5 and ball 18 with the draw-head, the ball or roller will be passed in through the draw-head mouth and-the yoke will be let down through the draw-head top. The ball or roller 18 will then he brought between the lower ends of the yoke or its fingers in proper alinement with the axle-openings therein, and the axle 17 will then be inserted and engaged with the yoke and ball by passing the said axle in through either one of two openings 19, Fig. 7, provided in opposite sides of the draw-head. It is my purpose to arrange these openings 19 at such a height as to be above the normal limit of vertical movement given to the ball 18 in elevating the yoke, so that the ends of the axle 17 will not come opposite to the said openings 19 except as the yoke is intentionally raised to that extent in order to permit the axle being pushed out by means of a suitable instrument inserted into one of said openings when it is desired to disconnect the ball and yoke. As ordinarily the ball-axle will not rise to the level of the openings 19 the guideways 3 or side walls of the draw-head will be sufficient to hold the axle 17 in place without the employment of any special fastenings. If desired, however, one end of the ball-axle 17 may be screwed into the opening 16 of "one yoke-finger, as shown in Fig. 5, and the other end of the axle may have a head that is countersunk into the other finger, or the said axle may be fastened at both ends by heading up or otherwise.

It is the purpose of the ball or roller 18 to support in an elevated position the verticallysliding yoke 5 and the coupling-pin 6 carried by said yoke, the said ball or roller to be capable of being displaced or pushed backward by an entering link, so as to release the elevated yoke and permit it to fall, thereby carrying the coupling-pin 6 into locking engagement with the link. The rear portion of the draw-head is formed with a recess 20 to receive the ball or roller 18 when pushed backward in lowering the yoke. The bottom of this recess 20 may be substantially flush with the bottom of the draw-head, as shown in Fig. 7, and in this case the ball or roller 18 will be moved forward onto the upper side of the link as the yoke is elevated in the act of uncoupling, or, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the recess 20 may be rearwardly depressed, and in this instance the ball or roller 18 will operate below the link in uncoupling. The lower ends of the guideways 3 may be continued in a suitable rearward direction toward or at the sides of the recess 20 or into slot-s 3 to accommodate the folding or rearward-swinging movement of the fingers 13 as the yoke 5 and coupling-pin 6 are lowered. The 'rear portion'of the draw-head may be recessed in conformity to the shape and dimensions of the ball or roller 18, or the drawhead recess may be of any shape and capacity. The size of the ball or roller 18 may be varied as desired.

When a link is entered into a draw-head having its yoke 5 elevated, the impact of the link against the ball or roller 18 will push the latter rearward, thereby releasing the yoke and permitting it to fall. The coupling-pin 6 thus passes into engagement with the link, and the lower ends of the yoke-wings 7 will rest on the side bars of the link and hold it level. It is thus unnecessary to provide the coupling-pin with a shoulder to bear on the link. Besides serving to hold the link level the inwardly-projecting wings 7 are important as strengthening the yoke.

It is preferable to bevel the mouth 2 of the draw-head at its top, bottom, and sides in order to direct an entering link toward the ball or roller 18, so that there will be a proper impact to dislodge the ball from beneath the elevated yoke 5 and insure a ready and easy coupling.

In some instances the link attached to one draw-head may have an upward tilt toward the other that would tend to carry the link above the ball or roller 18, and to prevent this there may be provided in theupper portion of the draw-head mouth a forwardlyswinging lug 21, supported by a pivot-pin 22 at the top. This pivotal forwardly-swinging lug or dog 21 is so supported in a recessed portion of the draw-head top as to be incapable of swinging rearward, but is free to swing forward, so as not to obstruct withdrawal of a link from the draw-head. The front face of the forwardly-swinging dog 21 is beveled downward and rearward to direct an entering link toward the ball or roller 18, thus facilitating dislodgment of the said ball or roller in the act of coupling two cars together. In the operation of uncoupling if the link should be lifted sufficiently to catch against the rear side of the pivoted forwardlyswinging dog 21 there will be no obstruction to withdrawal of the link, for the pivoted dog will readily yield in a forward direction. The front upper portion of the dog 21 is set in flush with the draw-head face, so that it is not subjected to the shock of impact when two draw-heads come together.

lVhen the cars are coupled, the pin 6 firmly engages in a pin-opening 23 in the bottom of the draw-head as well as in the upper pinhole 4:, through which it is suspended at the top, and thus the vertically-sliding yoke 5 is entirely relieved from strain. Should the coupling-pin break, it may be readily replaced by any of the cylindrical couplingpins in common use.

By lowering, the yoke 5 and attached coupling-pin 6, with the ball or roller 18 pushed back into the draw-head recess 20, the pin 6, extending across the inner portion of the draw-head mouth, will serve as a guard to prevent accidental coupling, as where cars are standing in a railroad-yard or on a siding.

The coupling-pin 6 can be made cylindrical, as shown, or it may be elliptical in cross-section from front to rear or constructed in any other form desired; but obviously the cylindrical form is preferable as being more easily replaced by such pins as are in common use. At its lower end the pin 6 may be squared 0d flat, or it may be beveled or convexed, as may be preferred.

A coupling-link 2:4,- of the double-loop form shown in Fig. 10 may be used with this coupler for automatic coupling with knuckle-couplers, one loop of the said link 24 being put onto the knuckle-coupler and the other loop being coupled by impact with the ball-supported yoke and coupling-pin hereinbefore described; but any ordinary link, as '25, may be also used with this coupling.

hat I claim as my invention is 1. In acar-coupling, the combination of a recessed draw-head having upper and lower pin-holes and provided with guideways in the draw-head top at the sides of the upper pinhole, a vertically-slidin g yoke engaged in said guideways, a coupling-pin carried by the upper portion of said yoke, and a ball or roller revolubly mounted in and between the lower portions of said vertically-sliding yoke, to

support the yoke and coupling-pin in an elevated position and adapted to be displaced by impact of an entering link, whereby the yoke is caused to drop and carry the coupling-pin into engagement with the link and with the lower ends of the yoke-wings bearing on the link, substantially as described.

2. In a carcoupling, the combination of a recessed draw-head provided with upper and lower pin-holes and having guideways in the draw-head top at the sides of the upper pinhole, a vertically-sliding yoke fitted into said guideways and provided with inwardly-projecting wings and with side pieces attached to said wings at a right angle and projecting below the same, a coupling-pin carried by the upper portion of said yoke, andaball or roller revolubly mounted in and between the lower portions of said vertically-sliding yoke, to support the yoke and coupling-pin in an elevated position and adapted to be displaced by impact of an entering link, whereby the yoke is caused to drop and carry the coupling-pin into engagement with the link, substantially as described.

In a car-coupling, the combination of a recessed draw-head provided with upper and lower pin-holes and having angular guideways in the draw-head top at the sides of the upper pin-hole, a vertically-sliding yoke composed of two separate side pieces provided with inwardly-projecting wings and fitted into said guideways, a coupling-pin carried by and between the upper portions of the two sides of said yoke, and a ball or roller revolubly mounted in and between the lower portion of said vertically-sliding yoke, to support the yoke and coupling-pin in an elevated position and adapted to be displaced by impact of an entering link so that the yoke will be caused to drop and carry the coupling-pin through the link and the lower ends of the yoke-wings onto the side bars of the link, substantially as described.

a. In a car-coupling, the combination of a recessed draw-head provided with upper and lower pin-holes and having guideways in the draw-head top at the sides of the upper pinhole, a vertically-sliding yoke fitted into said guideways and provided with inwardly-projecting wings, a coupling-pin carried by the upper portion of said yoke, swinging fingers pivotally attached to the lower portions of the said yoke,and a ball or roller revolubly mounted in and between the lower ends of said fingers to support the said yoke and couplingpin in an elevated position and adapted to be displaced by an entering link to cause the yoke to drop and carry the coupling-pin into engagement with the link, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupling, the combination of a recessed draw-head provided with upper and lower pin-holes and with guideways in the drau -head top at the sides of the upper pinhole, a vertically-sliding yoke fitted into said guideways, a coupling-pin carried by the upper portion of the vertically -s1iding yoke, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set swinging fingers pivotally attached to the my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- 10 lower portions of the yoke, and a doubly-conesses.

noidal roller revolubly mounted in and between saidswinging fingers andprovided with WILLIAM AMBROSE a removable axle adapted to be inserted and WVitnesses:

removed through openings in the sides of the WILEY ALFORD,

draw-head, substantially as described. J. B. BITTER. 

